


Treacherous Rebirth

by Merfilly



Series: To Build A Future [17]
Category: Transformers (Bay Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-18
Updated: 2011-12-18
Packaged: 2017-10-27 12:31:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/295893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merfilly/pseuds/Merfilly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ratchet has everything ready, and Megatron proves he's no fool... or is he?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Treacherous Rebirth

Megatron was vaguely amused, Ratchet decided, even though the tyrant was up and prowling around the fully hardened, upgraded frame.

"You did not leave room for the frame of his current design to integrate?" Megatron questioned.

"Do I ask you why you spare this rock and blast that one instead, oh benevolent dictator?" Ratchet snapped irritably. He rubbed at the metal plating sealing his armor until he could return home and let First Aid fix it correctly. Ratchet did not trust Hook at all, but Knock Out was only a smidgen better in his books. Megatron glared at him over one shoulder, baring his sharp dentaplates. Ratchet huffed air out of his intakes, and walked over to open the chest plates, showing a functional spark shard growing in a chamber. "Due to your desire for an expedited frame enhancement, Scion gave me permission to fission his spark, and begin it acclimatizing to the frame as it was built. As you can see, the shard is robust and swiftly forming a proper sphere. This will allow him to move his full consciousness into the fully designed frame, without having to go through the usual learning curve of fixing his old frame into the integration procedure and waiting for the new frame nanites to make the final connections. It will be supervised by me, and the frame left behind will be put to good use, I am certain," Ratchet finished sharing with the warrior, a sneer on his features. Then, just because he could not resist taking one step too many (a trait he had acquired from Ironhide, he was certain), "I've had a bit of experience with full frame transplants."

"Mmm." Megatron let his optics show a cruel pleasure in sharing the very memory at the top of Ratchet's mind, Jazz's near-destruction still setting Ratchet's fields to a frenzy of anger and helplessness in that moment.

"You can leave now. Scion is due any moment, and he doesn't need to be nervous for this."

"He will not be. I have trained him to be an exceptional Decepticon." Pointedly, Megatron went and sat in the large chair to one side, ready to watch the spectacle. Ratchet consigned his entire lineage to the depths of a dark matter cloud for all eternity, as this was going to make it more difficult to pull off his deal with Scion.

"Do whatever you wish, then," Ratchet growled, readying the transfer cables.

He had just finished arranging everything, including closing that spark chamber tightly, and medically confirming the frame would work as demanded, when Scion came in. The Seekerling was arrogant and brash as he entered, a pose that did not change on seeing Megatron, though Ratchet watched the wings hike up some in pleasure. Poor Sparkling had no idea what his desire was fixated on, Ratchet supposed.

"Come sit down, and we'll get you connected," Ratchet said gruffly.

"Of course," Scion said in complete confidence.

`~`~`~`~`

Starscream was suspicious, even as he followed Scion into the medic's chambers. He knew something was afoot, as Scion was supremely confident he would win this coming battle of wills. However, Starscream saw the new frame, an improvement on the ancient alpha frame he had once known, and could not help but feel the lust for life rising. The scrap of a mech that had served him as an anchor was soon to be eliminated, his life usurped for Starscream's glory.

The ghostly presence noted Megatron, and a smile twitched on his features. So the warrior had come to greet his pet project upon full maturity. This would be such a perfect stage to take all the attention on! He moved, overlapping Scion just as Ratchet was hooking up the new frame for transfer of memories and personality, fighting down the fierce resistance to take command fully. He whipped at Scion with all of Scion's insecurities, his flaws, his failings as only Starscream could know them, having been there all along. Scion shriveled beneath the onslaught, the bright personality falling , twisting toward darkness and oblivion. Starscream was winning, with a glorious reward at the end of it all. He tackled that glowing spark energy within the new frame, imprinting his experience on it, claiming it as his own. Once he was securely anchored to it, and knowing Scion was trying to rally and win free of the old frame, Starscream gleefully rejected the transfer cables, pushing them out as his first physical command of the new frame that was all his!

`~`~`~`~`

The instant the cables started falling away, Ratchet moved. His monitoring of the rust-bit's vitals told him that whatever war for dominance had taken a toll on the partial spark powering Scion's immature form. Its splintered mate had drawn hard against it during the personality transfer, and Ratchet had very little time to stabilize it as a viable life source of its own. That had been the risk all along, in knowingly fracturing a healthy spark to power two mechs. Each part would call to the other, an inevitable side effect not unlike a pair of twinned mechs. However, Scion had consented to the risk, showing more sense than thinking he could beat Starscream back in a will to will contest.

Megatron, for his part, did not move as Ratchet bodily picked up the failing frame and carried it into the next room, where a second frame, of the optimum size for a next to last upgrade waited. Ratchet hastily installed the smaller frame inside the open cavity, plugging in to force-boot the frame integration process. Had he been human, he might have held his breath, waiting to see if the process would cut off the drain on Scion's spark, forcing it to independence.

Four kliks passed before the spark he was monitoring gave a sudden surge, and the tendrils of neuroprocessing cabling began to extend from the smaller frame to the larger one. Ratchet smiled, exultant that he had managed to save the Sparkling, while also insuring Megatron would always have at least one wrench in his plans, a wrench named Starscream.

`~`~`~`~`

Megatron allowed the medic to continue his covert plot as if he had no idea what was transpiring in the other room. He stood, walking over, clawed digits scratching over wings that were beginning to imprint with the pre-war colors of a familiar pattern. One claw traced up and caressed a neck cable as the Seeker came fully online, drawing out a moan that was not as high or harsh as it once had been on the audials.

"My lord Megatron," was said, but while it would have been sincere from Scion, this voice twisted it into a mocking salutation.

Megatron closed his hands around the throat, not crushing, but with the firm reminder of his strength. "Starscream." He let the name fall with warning and amusement.

"How?!" Starscream demanded, though he did not deny the designation.

"I always know when you are plotting, my treacherous second."

He had listened to those spirits who had returned. He had heard Shockwave's voice decrying his fate. He had noted the other warriors, heard and realized those that had died most recently were the ones coming quickest to his temple.

Starscream's voice had never been heard. And yet, there was Scion, Megatron's perfect experiment to gain that crafty method of thinking without the disloyalty. Scion had evolved too close to true, betraying more influence than just that of his Combaticon guards and Megatron's teaching. It had not been hard at all for Megatron to surmise that his difficult second had cheated his fate.

"Megatron, I swear I only did so to be of service!" Starscream protested, aware he did not have near the control of this frame yet to be able to fight the warrior and escape with his new existence.

Megatron laughed, bringing his claws up to catch the pointed chin. "Service to yourself." But that… that will do for now, Starscream." He pulled back, helm turning to listen as Ratchet worked to save the Seekerling. He had faith Ratchet would. Prime's medic had been strangely gifted in ways Hook would envy, if Hook had room in his processor to acknowledge another's skills.

Yes, his ploy had worked. He had Starscream to counter Soundwave now, and Scion would survive to plague Starscream, giving Megatron the edge and space he needed for the dreams of Cybertron's future to mature.

Starscream twitched as he pushed up and away from the berth, lurching once toward the other room. Megatron folded his talons around the tip of a wing, catching and holding without doing more than warning the pressure sensors of the potential crushing damage. Starscream's optics blazed as they turned on him, making something long missing flare in Megatron's thoughts and feelings.

"He served his purpose!"

"For you, perhaps. For me?" Megatron gave a low, throaty purr. "I am looking forward to his final maturity with anticipation," he told the the arrogant Seeker in his grasp, letting his fields ripple just slightly with hunger.

"As if he could ever!" Starscream screeched indignantly, flaring his own fields possessively. Megatron growled, pushing Starscream toward the door. As the mech got his balance, he flexed his new wings invitingly, then haughtily walked out of the medic's quarters.

The Lord High Protector followed, stalking his prey, leaving the younger Seeker to awaken in Ratchet's care alone.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you, one and all, for following along. This ends the second arc of this series. While more tales are meant to be told, I am finding that the story is not dovetailing solely to Cybertron, as I feel a need to explore the Autobots' side as well. Until I decide on a format for future tellings, I thank you all for reading these two arcs.


End file.
